The rain fell too straight and too nice.
That was Lioren's first thought. Real rain never acts this polite. It doesn't wait for sad moments. It doesn't care about perfect timing. This rain did. It came down soft and shiny under the big lights, just heavy enough to look very sad. Expensive rain.
Lioren stood right in the middle of it. His coat was wet through. His hair stuck to his forehead in a messy way that would make him grumpy later when he watched the video. His chest went up and down slow. His hands were tight at his sides—not because the script said so, but because the cold hurt more than he expected.
In front of him, the woman playing his girlfriend looked up with red eyes. Her lips shaking uncontrollably. "You don't get to choose this by yourself," she said. Her voice cracked right where the director wanted.
All around them, the city looked aslee.The business part of Lorien had been changed overnight into a quiet, sad street. Shop lights were turned low. Windows were dark. Neon signs were off. Only this small spot mattered now, with cameras and people holding their breath.
Lioren said nothing. That was his line. Just silence.
He just stood staring at nothing in particular.
In the story, his character was leaving. That was the big wrong thing. Walking away and not looking back. Picking his dreams over love. A simple, mean choice wrapped in pretty words.
"You promised," she whispered.
Lioren swallowed hard and looked up, but not straight into her eyes.
A practiced pained expression showed on his face, just a little. "I promised you that I'll try, not that I would stay." He said quietly, his figure looking distant in the light rain.
The woman's breathig seized and she reached out for him. He didn't move back or walk away.
Behind the camera, someone moved their feet and small splash came from the fake puddle. Another person suddenly sniffed loudly, against the crew rules.
Good, Lioren thought. This is hitting right.
The woman stepped closer. Rain running down her face and mixing with all her fake tears. You couldn't tell which was which.
"Then go, and don't look back," she said.
"If you do, I won't forgive you." She added.
That was the signal. Lioren turned. One step. Two.
His back was straight and his face, calm. From behind, he looked strong, determined and a little cold—the way fans love and hate at the same time.
He took the third step.
Then a very loud disturbing sneeze sounded from the crew again.
Lioren's jaw went tight but he tried not to pay attention to anything else. Focus.
He took another step forward. The woman made a small crying sound and fell to her knees. Puddle from the rain splashing everywhere..
Lioren stopped.
This was the last part. The moment where everyone watching would want to yell at him to turn around, though they would know he wouldn't.
He closed his eyes for half a second. Then a loud voice cut through the rain with zero mercy.
"CUT!"
The whole set let out a breath in relief. The rain machine kept going perfectly, still falling like it had no idea the magic was over.
Lioren wiped water from his face and muttered, "Who sneezed? Seriously?"
The director's voice came over the speaker.
"Beautiful take, people! Except for the sneeze. We'll fix that in post. Now someone get Lioren a towel before he catches a real cold from our rain."
The rain stopped right away. One second it was pouring for the sad scene. Next second—clack—it was off. Like someone flipped a switch. No sorry, no nothing.
"Thank you, rain team," the director shouted. "Good job. Let's get ready again."
The woman who was crying on the ground looked up fast. "Can I get a towel before I really get sick and die?"
Two helpers ran over to her like they were born for this job.
Lioren let out a big breath and pushed his wet hair back. His coat felt very heavy and uncomfortable, sticking to his skin like it wanted to stay there forever.
"Was it good?" someone asked.
"It was beautiful," the director said. He was already looking at the small screen. "Sad. Perfect control. Hurts to watch. Except that sneeze."
The crew guy who had sneezed raised his hand slowly in apology. "Sorry. Allergies."
The director sighed.
Lioren turned around. He stepped carefully so he would not slip in the big puddle that was not there before. A helper came to him quickly—almost falling. She then put a big towel on his shoulders.
"Want a hot drink?" she asked.
"Yes, something warm, please." Lioren replied.
His co-star got up. She was already in a blanket. The makeup person was fixing her face fast, like the crying was just a small problem.
"You didn't look back," she said with a smile. "I thought maybe you would."
"If I did, the fans online won't get to hate me too much," Lioren said.
"That's true." The lady replied.
A man ran past with a huge light stand. He almost hit a camera guy. "Watch out!" the camera guy shouted.
"I'm watching!" the man yelled back, then not long after he said that, he hit a trash can at the side.
Lioren watched all this with a small smile on his lips. This was normal. Ten seconds of perfect movie magic. Then thirty people falling over wires in the next.
The director clapped one time. "Okay, reset in ten minutes. Same feelings. No more sneezes. And someone fix the rain machine—it's dripping on my shoes."
Lots of "Yes, boss!" came back, though not everyone could hear him entirely.
Lioren moved the towel a little and walked to the side of the set. A stylist popped up from nowhere and started fixing his collar.
"You looked good, very sad and hurt." She complimented.
"Thank you, I practice a lot."Lioren replied simply while she nodded like it was serious work.
Lioren looked down the street. The business area was starting to wake up again. Lights turned on and some people stood behind the ropes, holding phones, talking excitedly.
He ignored them like always, then another helper waved at him. "Five minutes, Lio!"
He raised his hand to say okay.
The towel was still on his shoulders, water dripping down from his hair onto the ground like the rain had left small memories.
For just a second, standing there between takes, Lioren Valoire was not the guy leaving his love behind.
He was just an actor. Cold and a little wet. Waiting for the cameras to make his heart break again when they say "action."...